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Every Trivium release after Ascendancy has initially been met with some backlash by fans of the band. Pretty much every band by the album is solid, but every album is a departure from the previous one, so getting fixated on certain aspects of the sound of the band always leads to disappointment. That’s not to say that all criticism of their work is invalid, but there is always a yearning for older elements of the band’s sound from some. Yet, despite this, Trivium keep pushing forward, and with every album they change the shell around the core of their sound. Sometimes it works better than others, as the intricate and progressive Shogun was an absolute masterpiece, In Waves was their most diverse album, and while Vengeance Falls was met with some degree of negativity, its second half had some of the best songs they’ve ever written. Silence in the Snow is the Florida quartet’s seventh album, and it sees them taking a different direction yet again, with a heavy bent towards traditional metal and the complete eschewing of screaming (which works out surprisingly well), and bringing back the elements of the fabled Shogun sound. And while the end result works more often than not, it’s a bit flawed. It’s hard to weigh the strengths and weaknesses of Silence in the Snow against each other, as they’re mostly disparate. The songs have structure issues, but the actual riffs that are in there are pretty great. Perhaps the easiest way to sort this out is to just lay the issues out there and let everyone sort them out for themselves. There is really one prime problem with this album, and everything else stems out from it. That problem is the reliance on choruses, or more specifically, song structures that emphasize choruses. Pretty much every song has a verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-chorus structure. Some of the best aspects of Trivium songs are “the riffs in between”, things that lead verses into choruses, interludes, pre-solo sections, et cetera. The band not having any screaming on this album is really no issue, as there aren’t any riffs that make one go “I wish there was some screaming here”, but that’s actually the root of the issue here. It’s not that the band are no longer doing harsh vocals, it’s that they’re not writing riffs that they normally play when they’re doing harsh vocals. And while the screaming isn’t really missed, the riffing is. Further exacerbating this issue is the fact that the choruses area repeated a lot, which makes the songs feel rather simplistic and repetitive. It’s also a problem when a lot of the songs have their verses start with the “guitar plays a note or two then stops, and Matt sings over a bassline” bit, which gets old even faster. While those issues sound a bit grave, when the album works, it really works. It has some of the best lines they’ve ever written. The riffing isn’t really the focus on most of the songs, the vocals are, and the riffing just provides a backdrop for the singing. While Matt Heafy isn’t the best singer out there, he’s better than he ever was (and he doesn’t rely heavily on pitch correction either, as live videos make very evident) and he pulls off a singing-driven album well. And while the complaints about choruses being too prevalent stands, they’re damn good choruses. It’s so easy to sing-along to everything in the album, and it’s all ridiculously catchy and memorable. The heavy metal influence is prevalent mostly on a few songs, whereas the rest are Shogun-era Trivium songs with the screaming bits cut out and the choruses emphasized. That album has been the holy grail for the band’s fanbase since its release, and this album brings back pretty much every aspect of that sound minus the heavier parts. The lack of more intense riffing probably partly due to the fact that the singing is a lot more difficult than what the band has done before, and Matt has to focus on his voice, which forces him to just play basic rhythms. The band mostly cover that up with great song writing, proving their claim they’ve been making for years that it’s not about how hard the riff you play is, but how good the riff sounds. And for guitar enthusiasts, the band still have neat riffs in some of the songs, and their solos, which every song has, are some of their best. Really, how much one enjoys this album will come down to what they’ve come to expect from Trivium over the years. If their image of the band was that of a metalcore band with screaming and melodeath-esque riffing, they will probably be disappointed. But if they liked Trivium for their melodies, Matt’s singing and the memorable lines, this album contains more of those than ever. They’ve brought back some of their best songwriting elements, and while the implementation is a bit flawed due to the simplistic structure of the songs, the end result is really good and is full of stupidly catchy riffs and choruses. In ways, Silence in the Snow is the “Black Album” of Trivium’s career, as it reflects a position in their musical progression similar to how that album was situated for Metallica . And while this might (rightfully) alienate some longtime fans, it’s just a different direction and not really a bad one. The aspects that are lacking are undeniable, but what’s here is also compelling in its own right. ? Trivium – Silence In The Snow gets… 3.5/5 -NT

Apparently, Glenn Danzig is not aware of the advancement of video recording technology as he demands his fans punch another fan for taping his live show. Um, ok, Glenn. The post GLENN DANZIG Does Not Want You Taping His Set appeared first on Metal Injection .

Following the absolutely horrid amalgam of pop, buttrock, and dubstep that was ‘ Never Never ,’ things didn’t look good for Korn ‘s new album Paradigm Shift . My hopes were high due to returning guitarist Brian Head Welch, but the single didn’t follow through, and in fact, featured little to no guitar. Disappointing. Their new single ‘Love & Meth’ however, sounds like it will be a return to the Untouchables -era Korn sound. It might be too soon to get hopes to high, but it’s good to know that there will be some good material on Paradigm Shift. A sample of ‘Love & Meth’ can be heard over at Loudwire , wherein Head says that the feedback from initial press streams have painted the album as “the best album since Issues or Untouchables .” Somehow I doubt it, considering how neither of those albums have a song as bad as ‘Never Never,’ but who knows, maybe that’s just one song. Elsewhere, Korn have also posted a brief behind-the-scenes clip from the ‘Love & Meth ‘ video below: Paradigm Shift will be out October 8th on Prospect Park. – JR

I think just about everyone who got into metal through the New Wave of American Heavy Metal movement of the 00′s is excited for the new Killswitch Engage album Disarm the Descent. The album sees the return of original vocalist Jesse Leach, who sang on their breakout record Alive or Just Breathing. The album’s leading single ‘ In Due Time ‘ seemed to bring excitement to its peak, confirming that the band seemed to be reaching a new peak that the band hasn’t seen in a few years. It’s a damn catchy track, and it’s good to hear Jesse back in the ranks. The video for the song was posted online this week, and it’s actually not all that special on the surface. There’s some standard performance footage and some meta-shots that makes the music video about how they filmed the music video you’re currently watching. Yeah. But the important thing is that everyone seems like they’re having a good time jamming on a new song with an old friend, and after some possible doubt and worry about the band’s future following previous vocalist Howard Jones’ exit from the band, it’s a good sign. Maybe I’m reading too far into subtext that might not be there, but at any rate, it’s good to see that things are looking up for Killswitch. Disarm the Descent will be available April 2nd on Roadrunner Records. – JR

Metal Blade As I Lay Dying ‘s ‘No Lungs to Breathe’ single speaks to surviving amidst isolated and adverse conditions, so it makes sense that the lyric video for the song is shot against the backdrop of the stars in outer space, with a mythical winged creature holding the key to it all. Guitarist Nick Hipa created the video, which just debuted via the band’s website. In addition, Hipa’s got some wicked guitar licks rocking the song to the core. The hard-hitting and speedy rocker talks about overcoming the odds, with frontman Tim Lambesis screaming, “ With no lungs to breathe / I had almost lost everything ” in the song’s chorus. ‘No Lungs to Breathe’ arrives just as the band are heading out on the road in support of their ‘ Awakened ‘ album. The group is co-headlining the tour with The Devil Wears Prada , with support from For Today , the Color Morale and the Chariot on select dates. To see the remaining stops, click here . The new single follows ‘ A Greater Foundation ,’ which impacted last fall. The momentum from the single and their ‘Awakened’ album led to fans voting As I Lay Dying the 2012 Metal Band of the Year in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards. Watch As I Lay Dying’s ‘No Lungs to Breathe’ Lyric Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/as-i-lay-dying-tim-lambesis-touring-humanitarianism-side-project-more/” title=”Next: As I Lay Dying’s Tim Lambesis Discusses Touring + Humanitarianism” align=”center”]

Epitaph Bring Me the Horizon fans will get the band’s ‘Sempiternal’ album sooner than expected, as the UK group has pushed forward the release date while offering entire stream of the album a full month before it drops. The full effort can be heard below for a limited time. The band mentioned ‘ overwhelming and phenomenal demand ‘ as the official reason given for the disc’s new release date, but there are also reports that the album leaked to the Internet. The ‘ Sempiternal ‘ album will now arrive in stores on April 2, as opposed to the initial April 30 street date. In addition to ‘Shadow Moses,’ the album features such songs as the blistering ‘Empire (Let Them Sing),’ the moody and atmospherically intense ‘And the Snakes Start to Sing’ and the kiss-off track ‘Antivist,’ which the band recently “ dedicated ” to former guitarist Jona Weinhofen . If you like what you hear, you can pre-order copies of the ‘Sempiternal’ album at this location . Bring Me the Horizon will venture to the U.S. this summer to take part in the Vans Warped Tour . Listen to Bring Me the Horizon’s ‘Sempiternal’ Album (Each Track Leads to the Next One) Bring Me the Horizon, ‘Sempiternal’ Track Listing: 1. ‘Can You Feel My Heart’ 2. ‘The House of Wolves’ 3. ‘Empire (Let Them Sing)’ 4. ‘Sleepwalking’ 5. ‘Go to Hell, For Heaven’ 6. ‘Shadow Moses’ 7. ‘And the Snakes Start to Sing’ 8. ”Seen It All Before’ 9. ‘Antivist’ 10. ‘Crooked Young’ 11. ‘Hospital for Souls’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/bring-me-the-horizon-video-shadow-moses/” title=”Next: Watch Bring Me the Horizon’s ‘Shadow Moses’ Video” align=”center”]